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5 most uplifting stories of the week

Newser Editors
7:40 a.m. EDT October 20, 2013

Maickel Melamed, 38, center, of Venezuela, who has muscular dystrophy, nears the finish line to be the last runner to finish the Chicago Marathon nearly 17 hours after he started the race.(Photo: Ken Herzlich, AP)

The end to the shutdown wasn't the only good news to make headlines this week.

1. Wounded soldier's salute goes viral: They're calling it the "salute seen around the world." Injured Army Ranger Josh Hargis delivered it from a hospital bed in Afghanistan after being severely wounded in a suicide bombing earlier this month. And it came as quite the surprise.

2. Man who came in last in marathon actually 'won': The Chicago Marathon last-place getter may also be its biggest winner. Maickel Melamed, 38, is battling muscular dystrophy, but still managed to finish the entire race with a time of 16 hours and 46 minutes.

5. $10K raised for woman who stole fountain change: Looks like there will be a happy ending for the jobless woman arrested for taking $2.87 from a courthouse fountain to buy food. A campaign on GoFundMe.com has so far raised almost $10,000 for Deidre Romine, whose trial on theft charges starts next month.

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